Balloon catheter and electrification system

Abstract

A balloon catheter is provided with a balloon on the tip of a main shaft. The balloon catheter is provided with: protruding parts that are furnished on the outer surface of the balloon and protrude outward from the outer surface of the balloon at least when the balloon is expanded; and electrodes that are furnished on the leading edges of the protruding parts in the direction of protrusion and are capable of transmitting energy to living tissue. The leading edge electrodes can thereby be delivered near the desired site of treatment by thrusting the protruding parts into living tissue and, in this configuration, energy is transmitted to said treatment site.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a balloon catheter for being inserted into a body cavity and treating a desired living tissue therein, and an energizing (electrification) system incorporating such a balloon catheter.BACKGROUND ART[0002]There has been a finding that patients with intractable hypertension who find it difficult to improve their high blood pressure even by taking antihypertensive can expect their blood pressure to be lowered by severing or disrupting the sympathetic nerve around the renal artery to block neurotransmission.[0003]It has been proposed in the art to percutaneously sever the sympathetic nerve around the renal artery using an ablation catheter. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-515544 (PCT) discloses an ablation catheter for severing the sympathetic nerve around the renal artery, the ablation catheter including a helical electrode disposed around an inflatable balloon for contacting and energizing the inner wall...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent provides an arrangement of a balloon catheter for transmitting energy to living body tissue, such as a nerve in a blood vessel wall. The balloon has protrusive members that are placed on its outer surface, which can pierce the tissue and deliver the electrode to a desired location. When the balloon is inflated and the protrusive members make contact with the tissue, energy can be selectively transmitted to the tissue without damaging the overall blood vessel. The protrusive members can be arranged in multiple arrays to achieve more localized energy transmission and prevent injury to other living body tissues. The design of the protrusive members allows for smooth delivery into the blood vessel wall and can take the form of a thin plate or needle. Overall, this arrangement provides a safe and effective tool for treating targeted areas of living body tissue.

Problems solved by technology

In other words, since energy is transmitted to other regions than the target issue to be cauterized, i.e., the sympathetic nerve in the vicinity of the adventitia, the ablation catheter is likely to cause possible problems such as intimal thickening, thrombosis, etc.

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